Updated: 31 October 2026

Draft a public statement after a mistake

This prompt drafts a public statement about an issue. You give the facts, who is affected, what you have done so far and the next steps, and it aims to be honest and take responsibility where due. Have it reviewed by your legal or communications team before publishing.

text-crisis-statement — chatgpt — 62 words

Draft a public statement about this issue:

What happened: [FACTS]
Who is affected: [AFFECTED]
What we have done so far: [ACTIONS]
What we will do next: [NEXT STEPS]

Be honest, take responsibility where it is due, avoid defensive language and legal jargon, and say how people can get help. Give a short version for social media and a longer one for email.

Edit in the builder Copy & open ChatGPT ↗Copy & open Gemini ↗Copy & open Claude ↗

Have someone else read it for tone before it goes public, and check the facts twice.

Get a better result

What you will get

An honest statement covering what happened, who is affected, what has been done, what comes next and where to get help, in a short social version and a longer email version.

Why it works

In a crisis people want to know what happened, whether it affects them and what to do. The prompt asks for exactly those, and bans defensive and legal language that makes statements sound evasive. Two versions fit different channels, and the tip’s advice to have someone else read it catches tone problems you cannot see under pressure.

Common mistake

The statement says more than the facts you have.

Fix: Only include what you know. Ask for “we are still investigating” where details are unclear.

Also watch for

The apology is conditional. Remove “if anyone was affected” and similar hedges. Take responsibility where it is due, as the prompt says.
There is no clear way to get help. Give a real contact, a link or a phone number, and when it is staffed.

Try a variation: update statement

Ask for a follow-up update for 48 hours later: what you have learned, what has been fixed and what is still open.

Still not right? Reply with this

Remove any sentence that is not a fact we have confirmed or a step we have committed to, and make the help line the second sentence.